Jeta+Donovan

I'm a second year docotoral student here at Fordham in the Language, Literacy, and Learning program. In addition to my work here, I teach 7th and 8th graders at a special education, inclusion charter school in Harlem. I've been teaching in New York City public schools for 5 years. I began my teaching career as Teach for America corps member. The steep (and often rather taxing) learning curve I faced in my first year of teaching made me very interested in teacher education and led me to pursue my PhD here at Fordham.

My research interest here at Fordham involve the use of African-American Language in the classroom, how students code-switch between AAL and Standard English, and how teachers can better address the needs of students' diverse linguistic backgrounds. This is all a work in progress for me, so I'm looking forward to our course as a way to keep reflecting on the realities and complexities of these issues.

Outside of school, I'm an avid reader. Novels tend to be my indulgence when I have the time (Phillip Roth, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Paul Auster are some of my favorites!), and I'm always looking for new book suggestions. Chocolate chip cookies and milk is my all time favorite treat, and I love a good Sunday brunch.

I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you!

--Jeta